


Soulmarked

by mathsisfun



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Secret Santa, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-25 01:39:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17112023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathsisfun/pseuds/mathsisfun
Summary: This is my gift for as part of the tumblr sansan secret santa exchange. The prompt was 'soulmates au'. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to my beta swedishfishmafia.





	Soulmarked

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MadJJ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadJJ/gifts).



> This is my gift for as part of the tumblr sansan secret santa exchange. The prompt was 'soulmates au'. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to my beta swedishfishmafia.

Sansa looked at herself in the mirror as she dressed for the day. The mark on her shoulder caught her eye and she tossed her long hair over it. It was ugly having a mark on your skin and she preferred not to look at it. At least it was covered by her dresses.

 

Soul marks were a strange thing. Some people had them, some did not. Her hair moved and she could see the mark again in her reflection. It felt just like skin to touch, watching her fingers lightly outline the pattern. The design itself, she had eventually admitted after several years, was beautiful. Sometimes it seemed to shimmer and ripple in the light when you almost didn't quite look at it.

 

When it had appeared on her fifth birthday the shock had been awful, and she scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was pink but it wouldn't come off. But Father had explained the mark was a tradition of the North, that it meant that there was a best friend chosen for you with the same mark, and if you were lucky when you were grown you might find them.

 

Mother had stood in the doorway of her bedroom and frowned. After Father left there were rules. Mother liked rules, but there were more for the drawing on her skin than anything else. First no showing the mark to anyone except family or to Maester Luwin. There was to be no drawing a copy of the mark and she certainly couldn’t tell anyone else what it looked like or even that she had one to talk about. Finally it is very bad manners to ask anyone else if they have a mark. And she must always wear her hair braided across that shoulder from now on.

 

She was older now than when she had been given the first child friendly explanation and knew the pattern was a soulmark, a thing of old magic, and old magic was dying out. In old Nan’s tales growing up there had been stories of times when most men and women had marks, but now it was thought that only a few in the North were chosen. So when not one but all of the Starks woke on their 5th birthday with intricate designs on their skin there was much surprise.

 

It made her feel torn. She attended the Sept every week with her mother, and prayed to the seven, but she had a mark of the Old Gods. Mother wasn't pleased. People didn't normally get these marks in the south where her mother was raised, the seven preached strongly that the marks were just pagan tattoos. Like a lowborn sailor might have. But it was important that her mother wasn’t disappointed with her, so the mark was covered.

 

A noise at the door broke the daydream. She could her sister banging on all the doors in the family wing of the castle.

 

‘Wake up, wake up, it’s Robb’s nameday.’ shouted Arya.

 

‘I've been awake for ages’ she swiftly called back at her impatient sister. It wasn’t like it was Arya’s name day.

 

‘Then hurry up and come down stairs!’

 

.......... 

 

‘You can open your presents now Robb’

 

‘Thank you Mother’

 

‘Mine first’ said Rickon thrusting a package at Robb.

 

‘Thank you’ said Robb ‘for the...’

 

‘Lucky rabbit foot’ shouted Rickon in excitement.

 

‘Do I need more luck?’

 

‘Yes, you’re getting married. To a girl.’

 

‘Rickon’ said their Mother in a stern voice. ‘No luck is needed for that, she is a girl from a reputable house...’

 

‘But he has never met her.’ sulked her smallest not so small now brother. ‘She might be horrible.’

 

‘No, but that is not how marriage is arranged Rickon.’

 

‘Besides,’ interrupted Robb, smiling ‘she is my soulmate.’

 

Sansa could see her mother looked faintly uneasy.

 

‘But how do you know she is your soulmate when you have never met her?’

 

It was clear Rickon was not going to stop asking questions any time soon. She listened to their fathers familiar explanation, sure she could recite the words herself after hearing it for herself, Arya and Bran.

 

‘Well the Maesters of each area keep a record, and those records can be checked when you are older.’

 

‘Why can't you check now.’ Rickon whined. Yes, Arya had asked that too.

 

‘Well it depends’ her father continued ‘the other person might not be born yet, or be old enough yet, or might not be in Maester Luwin’s records. Maesters in the north speak to other Maesters each year to see if there are new matches.’

 

‘Is there always a match?’

 

‘We can talk more about it another time. When you are older.’

 

‘I want to know Now.’

 

Her father sighed. ‘Sometimes the person is never found, perhaps they die early, or rarely are not born in the North.’

 

‘So how do you find them?’

 

‘There are A range of ways, but it is Robb’s birthday, perhaps you should see what Robb wants to do today.’

 

Robb smiled at Rickon. They all knew what Rickon wanted to do.

 

‘Snowball fight?’

 

‘Go on then’ Robb ruffled Rickon's hair.

 

..........

 

Sansa stood out of the way until the snowball fight left them exhausted then joined the others sat on logs near the heart tree.

 

‘What are the other ways of knowing who has the same mark as you?’ Rickon asked after a long silence.

 

‘Show him Sansa.’ suggested Robb.

 

‘Why me?’

 

‘You know you are the only one who has a scarf with you.’

 

‘I like to be properly dressed.’

 

Rickon seemed confused ‘Why do we need a scarf?’

 

‘Just watch. The scarf means she isn’t cheating.’ Explained Robb.

 

As she had many times before she stepped into a clear space and fixed the scarf around her head. ‘Who is going to spin me?’

 

Theon jumped up, before Robb pushed him back down. ‘I don’t think so’ said Robb stepping towards Sansa and turning her several times.

 

She stood, silent, and listened to the rustle of the leaves above her. The pull was still there. It faded unless she sought it out but now, turning and pointing, even with her eyes covered, this was the same direction she was always drawn to.

 

‘So what?’ whined Rickon, ‘That is a rubbish game.’

 

‘Watch me.’ said Arya jumping up. ‘You can feel the general direction your soulmate is in. Spin me Jon.’ She demanded.

 

Jon spun Arya so fast her feet lifted off the ground. She repeated the trick it three times, as usual every time facing in the same direction.

 

‘See Rickon?’ she explained, ‘you can feel where your soulmate is. But it is hard at first and gets clearer over time, don’t expect to feel it straight away.’

 

‘So where are your soulmates then?’

 

Both Arya and Sansa pointed South.

‘Towards Kings’ Landing’ Sansa whispers, knowing what is coming.

 

‘Rubbish’ said Arya, 'soulmates are Northern, and there is plenty of the north in any direction from Winterfell. Typical Sansa, even takes the South in a northern custom. I don’t know why you have a mark you don’t even want to be northern.’

 

‘We point the same way’ Sansa argued back.

 

‘Jon points due north’ said Arya, glaring, before Bran added ‘I think I point towards The Neck’.

 

‘So as you get older. The pull gets stronger.’ Checked Rickon.

 

‘It isn't a pull. You just get a clearer idea of where they are, you will know when you feel it.’

 

‘Why can’t you just show everyone your mark?’

 

‘It isn't like you can go round showing your chest to everyone.’ blushed Sansa, ‘it isn’t proper’

 

‘This isn’t how things used to be’ said Bran.

 

They all turned to look at their quiet brother.

 

‘People used to...’ Bran hesitated

 

‘What?’

 

‘I read this book about old customs, it said once a year there was a ceremony at each village where the new marks were shown off and word travelled between villages.’

 

‘But that doesn't happen any more.’

 

‘What do we do?’

 

‘Use the Maesters’ records instead.’

 

‘But care is needed or people can copy a mark to try to get married.’

 

‘It is rare, and not an area the citadel encourages research in, but the book stated there is some suggestion you can tell which direction they are in.’

 

‘Didn’t we just show that?’

 

‘So is that how you found out, from Maester Luwin?’ Asked Rickon.

 

‘Yes’ replied Robb, ‘I’ve known for 10 years when I got a match from White Harbour’s Maester.’

 

‘What about you Sansa?’

 

‘Mine has not been located yet’ said Sansa. ‘Only Robb’.

 

‘Why?’

 

‘There could be lots of reasons, not everyone tells a Maester until they are marriage age.’

 

‘But Sansa is of...’

 

‘That doesn’t mean her soulmate is’

 

Rickon paused while he thought of another question ‘Why are they in different places, the marks on you body?’

 

‘It is where they first touch you.’

 

‘Lucky I don’t have one said Theon, it would probably be on my...’

 

‘Theon!’ Shouted Robb and Jon simultaneously.

 

‘I’m cold, I’m going in to warm up.’ Sansa wasn’t really cold but the reminder that her soulmate had not been located made her feel melancholy. She made her way to her mother’s solar.

 

‘You look sad my dear, come and warm up by the fire.’

 

‘Do you think my soulmate will be found?’

 

Her mother looked at her with compassion. ‘I’m sorry, but maybe not. Sometimes people die and you don’t marry as you expect. I was not supposed to marry your father after all.’

 

Her mother looked conflicted, then added ‘Old Nan said she could read some of the symbols, and that you have symbols for a great warrior, that there was a symbol for prince, and for a promise’

 

Sansa smiled. At least that was something.

 

..........

 

He was five when his mark appeared. He remembered the strange looks as he broke his fast and his mother sending a servant for a mirror. The pattern on his face intrigued him as he traced it. ‘Why is on my face?’

 

‘Because the mark appears wherever your soulmarked mate will first touch you’ his mother had explained in one of his few memories of her.

 

Sandor tried not to look in the mirror at all nowadays. After all, paying no attention to his scarred face could hardly make him any uglier. Today though, he felt drawn to look, and for a moment he let himself remember what he would have looked like had half his face not been burnt away. Not that it would have been unmarked, not since the mark appeared one morning across his cheek. Fool. If he shut his eyes though, it almost almost felt like his mother was tracing her fingers around the pattern as she had the first time she saw it.

 

Gregor had laughed and said he was a stupid pup who couldn't even wash himself when he saw him for the first time.

 

His mother though, she had been both proud, and sad, ‘I don't know much about the marks, your great grandmother had Northern blood and she used to sing lullabies of great northern heroes of old finding their one true love though the soulmark. When you are older I will ask the Maester to send a message to a Northern house to find out more.’

 

He had grown used to the pattern, and everyone stopped staring.

 

Until the witch came. She was on her way to Casterly Rock, and stopped offering her services, once she saw Sandor she bowed to him and said she had come read the mark on his face.

 

He eagerly asked his father if he could have a reading, and after ascertaining no payment was required let her go ahead.

 

‘The pictures in the centre’ said the gnarled woman, ‘are you and her. Or her and you. Or perhaps what you will be to her and what she may be to you… ‘

 

She seemed to pause thinking, the room was now silent. ‘The patterns around the outside, they are very interesting.’

 

‘What does it mean?’

 

‘It says that you will be Lord, and she will be a princess, that while she is with you you will be invulnerable.’

 

His father and Gregor had laughed at that, and took the witch to leave, shouting that they'd had a better fortune at the village fair.

 

Sandor ran after the witch, ‘how will I know her?’

 

‘That is where she touches you first.’ The witch had said pointing to his cheek.

 

Of course, he thought, drawn back to his true reflection, no one was going to touch him there now.

 

Gregor had found him not long after the witch visit, and the punishment for playing with a toy knight was his face in the fire but the pain came with Gregor words seared into his mind.

 

‘The witch says nonsense, but just in case, if I burn the mark off you, then no princess will want you runt’.

 

That was it. No mark. If there had truly been someone for him there now wouldn't be, and with his mother's death no chance of contacting a Northern Maester.

 

Truly he was a fool.

 

.........

 

Since the announcement the King was coming Sansa was sure the soulbond was moving.

 

Surely that meant he was coming with the King’s party. The excitement was near overwhelming.

 

Her family all lined up in the court yard as the outriders rode through the gate. The soul pull was the strongest it had been, but disappointingly not the needle point accuracy she had thought it would become. Still when the Prince rode through the gate she knew it was him. Her eyes were for no one else. The King and Queen made their way along the receiving line, and the Prince followed behind. He was the most handsome golden creature she had ever seen, surely the Old Gods were right and deserved thanks.

 

So,’ Robb asked, ‘is it him?’

 

‘Yes definitely’ stated Sansa confidently.

 

‘You can't be sure without seeing the mark’

 

‘Arya, it wouldn't be polite to ask that!’

 

‘Well the, was your shoulder the first place he touched you?’

 

‘It must have been’ replied Sansa casting away any doubts.

 

‘And where did you touch him?’

 

‘His hand of course.’

 

‘That is simple then, once he takes his gloves off, you will see the matching soulmark on his hand.’ Arya smirked.

 

‘It doesn't matter anyway, I heard father talking to the king earlier and you are to be betrothed to the Prince anyway.’

 

‘It matters to me Robb, I want to marry my soul mate, just like in the stories.’

 

‘They are just stories though.’ laughed Robb ‘You think my soulmate bond would be honored if it wasn't with a suitable house?’

 

‘Father said it is the will of the Gods, you know that’ she reminded him.

 

‘Yes, but mother still half thinks it is all nonsense even with my match made.’

 

‘I suppose.’ sighed Sansa ‘She made me promise not to mention the mark. Said some northern customs would be out of place in the south at court. Did you hear anything else?’

 

‘They also agreed that you and Arya would go south to spend time in Kings landing with your betrothed.’ Arya looked conflicted at the news.

 

‘What about you or Father?’ asked Sansa.

 

‘Father will come once my wedding has taken place.’

 

‘But then we will miss the wedding! I can't believe we will be made to miss your wedding.’

 

‘Don't be sad, maybe we can visit you in Kings landing and you can show us around. Or perhaps next time we meet you will be a princess’ smiled Robb.

 

She smiled to herself, ignoring Arya glaring daggers at her.

 

….......

 

The journey back to King's Landing was just as slow and tedious as the trip North had been. The stupid Prince he guarded hardly needed guarding when in the wheelhouse with his mother, and if he choose to ride the main danger was from his own poor horsemanship. And now they were stopped by the Trident for no good reason.

 

He could see the girl from where he stood, far to good for the likes of Joffrey. The boy-man was going to marry, possibly, no definitely, the most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms. Yet he barely spoke to her. She had often been within sight at Winterfell. He would look up and see her staring at an oblivious Joffrey like he was the sun.

 

There she was now, walking through the camp with her wolf.

 

Before he realized his feet had started to move, drawing him to her. He reached her, and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned in surprise and looked up at him with her clear blue eyes, before the idiot arrived and the moment was broken. Sansa walked off happily arm in arm with Joffrey.  
The happiness wasn't going to last, that he did know.

 

….......

 

Sansa and Joffrey walked along the riverbank. She was delighted to finally spend time getting to know each other. They talked pleasantly of the life at court and all the things she would see once they arrived. It sounded wonderful.

 

Then they heard voices ahead, as Arya and one of her many friends came into view. Her sister seemed to be rolling up one sleeve.

 

‘Arya, no!’ she called ‘You know you aren't just meant to show off your mark.’

 

‘Is this the famous northern mark?’ Joffrey cackled, demanding ‘show me.’

 

‘No’ said Arya, feet firmly planted across from them with hands on hips.

 

‘I am your Prince! I want to see one of these dirty marks’

 

‘It isn't dirty.’ There was a pause, then suddenly Arya turned and said ‘Surely you've seen one before, you must have one.’

 

‘Of course I don't have a stupid heathen drawing on me’

 

‘It isn't stupid, you are just jealous as you don't have one!’

 

‘Stop it, just stop it!’ she shouted. Why couldn’t her sister and her Prince be polite to one another.

 

….......

 

Sansa lay in bed. How could she have been so naive. She had been so sure Joffrey had been her soulmate. Everything fitted, but no, she was wrong. Now the king was dead, and Robb and her father had raised an army, while she was stuck as a prisoner on her own since Arya's escape.

 

At least father had never reached here in time after Robb’s wedding or he would be captive too. At least Ilyn Payne couldn't have cut his head off anyway. After the incident at the Trident the Queen had called for her direwolf's head as punishment. The headsman had been sent to carry out the order, but her direwolf had cornered him and ripped his throat out then run off before the sentence could be carried out. She missed her family. And her wolf.

 

..........

 

Guarding the King as he held court was boring most of the time. Even when the King was being unpredictable there was no credible threat, Joffrey’s decisions predictable in being the most unpleasant option on every occasion. But today she was in court and Joffrey was in a worse mood than normal.

 

Normally Sandor could stand motionless for hours, but today it made him feel twitchy in his sword arm. Sansa was bought in front of the dias. She did her best to answer the boy’s accusations, though all in court knew there was no answer she could give that would satisfy, Joffrey just wanted to torture her like a bird or defenceless animal. His sword arm grew more twitchy as Meryn was instructed to remove her gown and beat her.

 

Yes, it was wrong, but so we're all of Joffrey’s edicts, why was he finding it so hard to remain still this time? Meryn ripped the gown from her shoulders letting the court gawp at her body. He did not see her body though. Frozen in shock only her shoulder held his eye, or rather the mark upon it. The familiarity took his breath away, to see the pattern again so well known, even at this distance and after more than two decades.

 

How could it be, how could the mark be on her shoulder?

 

The King cackled, ‘see, she is a heathen tree worshiper, with a wildling mark on her body. To think the northers tried to trick me into marriage with her. What do you say Sansa?’

 

The girl replied hesitantly ‘We do not choose to be marked. I thought...’

 

‘Thought!, that is where you erred, trying to think.’ Joffrey was smiling now, this couldn’t be good ‘I think we will try an experiment, let us see if the mark is just on your skin or goes deeper.’

 

Sandor couldn’t help it anymore, the threat forced his voice out to loudly say ‘enough’.

 

At that moment the Imp arrived and he took the moment of distraction to throw his cloak around Sansa. The king fully occupied with the Imp and the court being cleared he swept Sansa into his arms and carried her to her room.

 

Putting her gently in a chair he stood, not knowing what to say. He had so many questions, where should he think to start. Or maybe, should he start at all? After all, he could see the mark on her, but she would never the mark on him.

 

Would she believe him? There was no reason to. She would be better off not knowing he realized. It would just be more risk for her. And him. Both of them. No one in court had seen his mark, that of a child in a very minor minor house all that time ago.

 

Unless, unless someone saw enough to describe the pattern on Sansa and Gregor heard of it? He was the only other person left alive who would know. Anything Joffrey could devise to torment his former betrothed would be child’s play compared to his brother.

 

It wouldn’t do to say nothing, he needed to explain the risk.

 

‘Sansa’

 

‘Sansa’ he repeated, but she just stared into space.

 

‘Sansa’ This time her eyes focused on him ‘You must hide the mark’ he implored.

 

‘Why, what does it matter now everyone has seen me, seen what I am’

 

‘It matters’

 

‘Why, why are you telling me this, what does it matter to you?’

 

‘He couldn’t say. The rejection and disbelief was more than he could bear. He marched from the room, and slamming the door he decided to get drunk.’

 

..........

 

Sansa sat in what passed for a Godswood, enjoying the feel of fresh air outside the Keep. Sitting and thinking. That was what she spent most of her time doing now. A slight rustle of dead leaves made her turn to see the Hound.

 

‘You need to listen to me’

 

She remained silent for a moment before replying ‘Why?’

 

‘It is not safe, for others to see the design’

 

‘The design does not matter’

 

‘It can link you to someone else’

 

‘There is no one else, the Maester checked all the northern houses many times. I thought it was Joffrey, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.’

 

He hesitated, ‘that just means he isn’t of the north and so the record was missing.’

 

‘Unless my soulmate parades around with the mark displayed I am at no more risk’, she sadly chuckled, ‘no more risk than I was anyway.’

 

‘Just, protect yourself the best you can’

 

‘Why do you care?’ This was the question Sansa wanted an answer to.

 

The huge warrior just stood there and she stepped closer. ‘How do you know so much about the soulmark as a southerner?’

 

He just looked at her and didn't respond. She had much time to think yesterday. Her maid found her still in her ripped dress hours later, lost in thought.

 

‘Why did you think Joffrey was your soulmate?’ he countered.

 

Honesty was the best choice now, she had learned that much about him since arriving at court. ‘I always felt the pull, and it was always to Kings Landing. When the royal party arrived at Winterfell the pull always was in Joffrey’s direction whenever he was near.’

 

‘I didn’t understand, even once I realized how awful the Prince was I still felt it.’ Perhaps he would answer a question of hers now ‘How do you know about the marks?’

 

For a moment, the air seemed to still, the trees waiting for what was to come.

 

‘I had one’

 

‘Had?’

 

The final piece fell into place in her mind. She reached out her hand and cupped his burnt cheek. ‘Had?’

 

‘Yes. He burnt it away. I told you after the tourney, just not why it was that cheek.’

 

Sansa thought she had been sure before in her soulmate, but now she truly knew.

 

‘He wanted to stop you finding your soulmate?’ her heart broke a little at the cruelty from a family member.

 

‘He thought no one would touch me there if he ruined my face and I’d never prove it to anyone.’

 

‘But it didn’t work did it. The first time I touched you it was after the tourney like this on your cheek. Why did you not tell me yesterday?’

 

‘I didn’t think you would believe me. The marks are meant to be proof.’

 

‘But can you feel the pull?’

 

‘Yes’

 

‘I can too, it is clear now. When I thought I could feel the pull towards Joffrey, it was just that you were always guarding him’

 

‘I have a soulmate’ said Sansa, shyly smiling up at her warrior.

 

‘I didn’t think I would ever find my soulmate. I gave up such a long time ago.’

 

He placed his hand above her shoulder. ‘What happens now? You must understand you are in more danger than ever, Joffrey, my brother...’

 

‘We start our own lives now’

 

‘Life is not a story of soulmates living happily ever after Little Bird. Finding out doesn’t change anything.’

 

She smiled at him ‘This changes everything.’

..........


End file.
